Flashlight end cap



lApril 14, 1959 E. J. GARLAND 2,832,388

FLASHLIGHT END CAP- I Filed May 11, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 1,

ATTORNEYS April 14, 1959 E. J. GARLAND FLASHLIGHT END CAP 2 Sheetsheet 2 Filed May l1' 1955 lUnited States Patent FLASHLIGHT END CAP VEdward I. Garland, Shrewsbury, Mass., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Electric Storage Battery Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of New Iersey yApplication May '11, l1955, Serial No. 507,528

I2 Claims. (Cl. A24010.6)

This :invention relates 'to .an end cap and carrying device .for flashlights.

Many types of suspending vandcarrying devices are now known and in use in the .flashlight art. In general, the suspending and :carrying devices comprise a .metallic bail pivotally secured to the flashlight casing. The manufacture of an end cap having this type of bail requires a plurality of complex and separate manufacturing steps, all of which add to the expense of manufacture.

.An .object of the present invention is to provide a novel type of end cap andv carrying means fabricated Yof plastic molding `powder in a single molding operation, to provide an lend cap, .bail and hinge member connecting thebail tothe end cap, all integrally united.

Another object of the invention is to provide Ian :inexpensive method vof manufacturing an Vend cap for a ashlight .and carrying means integral therewith, in which the manufacturing operations are simplified by fabricating the end .cap and carrying means from a molded plastic material. v

Afurther object of the invention is to provide a molded plastic end .cap having `a circular bail integrally united thereto by means .of a flexible, ribbon-like hinge member, and having a threaded metallic shell projecting therefrom for securing .the molded `end cap to a correspondingly threaded ilas'hlig'ht casing.

These and other objects ofthe invention, which will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description ofthe invention, are accomplished by fabricating an end cap from a moldable plastic characterized by its rigidity 'in thick .sections and its flexibility in thin sections. Such an end cap may be made to have a relatively thick section, so as to possess a considerable rigidity. The carrying means may comprise a thin, ribbon-like, flexible hinge member having at an end thereof a circular bail. The hinge member is `preferably united with the. end cap in' such a Way asto enhance its structural strength and to avoid points of weakness.

In molding the end cap, it is desirable to provide a flat end panel having resilient projections extending therefrom between which the bail may be releasably secured. Similarly, on the interior surface of the end panel, there may be provided two considerably. larger projecting prongs between which a spare bulb for the ashlight may be detachably secured. Additional objects, advantages, and features of the invention reside in the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts which will be more readily apparent from the following description of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a flashlight casing including the end cap and the carrying means according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the end cap and carrying means or bail showing the bail in its closed position;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the end cap showing the bail in its open position;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the end cap, showing the bail in an extended position;

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Fig. 5 is a top plan. view of the end cap showing the bail in closed position;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the interior .of the endcap;

Fig. 7 is a section taken online 7-7 on Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken ron line 8-8 'of Fig. S;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary viewv taken from Fig; 8, showing the bail secured between projecting prongs Aon the end panel;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the end cap, taken from Fig. 7.

Referring .more particularly' to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a flashlight casing 1 manufactured from a synthetic plastic moldingpowder. Disposed Within the flashlight casing are the conventional dry :cells 2,. a conventional switching mechanism 3, and -a conventional lens structure 4. The largest portion of the .as'hlight casing is a :molded plastic tubular member 5, to which a front cap 6 and an end ca p 7 are secured. A metallic threaded member -8 is molded into the rear end of the tubular member "5., and provides fsecuringmeans whereby the end .cap may be detachably secured to the `tubular member.

The end cap 7 comprises a rigid body of .molded plastic having inset therein a threaded metallic shell 9 an extension of which engages a correspondingly threadedmetallic liner 8 in the tubular member 5 and vthereby secures the end cap .7 to said tubular member. .Although the exact configuration of the end cap may be varied somewhabto harmonize with the design of .the entire ashlight casing, in thepreferred embodiment of the invention, the end cap preferably comprises a cylindrical portion 11k which terminates .in a shoulder 12. Extending rearwardly vfrom the shoulder 12 is a .truncated conical section which terminates at a at end panel 14.

A ribbon-like hinge member 15 extends .tangentially from the cylindrical body portion 11 yrearwardly of thel flashlight in a direction which is parallel to the .axis of the cylindrical body portion. The hinge .member 15 :termi. nates in an integral union with a 'bail or hanger ring 16, which vmay be of .fairly substantial cross section and pos sessed of considerable strength. In the closed lposition illustrated in Figure 2, 'the bail 76 may be removably se-v cured in place between Iextensionsv 17 of the .truncated conical section 13 and resilient Iprojecting prongs 18 ex-` tending above the surface of the end panel 14. v

Referring specifically vto Figures l2 and 3f, with-the ex'- ception of the inset metallic 'threaded shell 9, each structural part of the end cap which has just been referred to is made by a single molding step, andeach of the struc# tural yparts are integrally united in a monolithic struc f ture. Although the ribbon-:like hinge member 15 is relatively Vthin and flexible, it nevertheless possesses a consider-` able strength and is more than sufficient to support the" weight of the entire flashlight, both in a stationary position and in motion, with all of the consequent abuse which would necessarily accrue from all types of use.

A further desirable structural feature may be incorporated in the end cap if desired. Frequently, it is quite useful to have a spare bulb stored within a ashlight casing. This may be accomplished by molding, within the end cap, on the inner surface of the end panel 14, a pair of projecting prongs 19 of sufficient resilience so that the metallic base 20 of a bulb may be grasped therebetween, preferably within a slight recess 21 (Fig. 8). The projecting prongs 19 may extend through an aperture 22 in the inset metallic shell 9 or may be soldered or riveted to the base of said shell.

Though a plurality of means may be employed for retaining the bail 16 in a closed position on the end cap, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the end panel 14 is provided with arcuate extensions 17 of the truncated conical section 13. The bail 16 is desirably of such a size ythat it will t snugly within the two arcuate extensions l 17. In order to-V retain the bail 16 in closed position, there are also provided a pair of projecting prongs 18 having smaller outwardly directed retaining ridges Z3 at the upper lextremities thereof. Each retaining ridge 23 is preferably of such a size that a slight pressure is needed to position the bai1'16 between the projecting prong 18 and the extension 17 on the truncated conical section, as illustrated inlFig. 9.- The normalresilience of the projecting prongs 18 'allo'ws the repeated insertion and withdrawal of the bail 16 from open to closed position. The arcuate extensions 17 of the truncated conical section are desirably of just-"sufcient arcuate length so that an open grasmaaierr v,

Other modications in structure and arrangemennand y `other substitutions of materials within the scope-.of the area2l4 remains between theopposed extensions 17 for the unimpeded insertion of the hinge 1S when the bail is'in its closed position. A corresponding, oppositely disposed open area I25 allows the bail to be grasped and removed from its closed position.

prhe' meranic 'Shen 9 is preferably 'inserted in the end cap while the plastic is still-warm and ilexible from the molding operation. While the plastic is in this condition, the metallic shell can slip past the raised annular ring in the 4end cap, which vsnaps into place in the corresponding indentation 27 in the metallic shell, securing the shell in position. 1The projecting prongs 19, which protrude through the aperture 22 in the shell,` prevent rotary movement of the shell relative to the end cap. Where the projecting prongs 19 are made of metal and are soldered or otherwise joined directly to the metallic shell, some other means 'should be provided to prevent rotary'relativemovemen't between the metallic shell and th'eeud'cap.4 p y 'There has thus been provided a novel, simple and extremely useful type of `e'nd-cap molded as -a unitary mass from aplastic material. j The preferred molding material is a'polyamide (nylon) molding powder characterized by its'frigidity-in thick sections, liexibility in thin sections,y

invention, will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim: Y

1. In a tubular flashlight comprising a casing including a chamber for one or more batteries, a reector and bulb mounted in one end of said'chamber, a removable end cap closing the opposite end of said ,chamber from said reflector and bulb, a switch mounted on said casing and metallic conductive elementswithinrsaid chamber'to'p'rovide a major part of the electrical circuit controlled' by said switch, the improvement in `which the end cap comprises a substantially cup-shaped member definedby an end 4wall and a cylindrical side wall; an annular carrying bail, a ribbon-like ilexible strip secured at one end to the outside surface of said cylindrical side wall of said cup-shaped member and at its other end to said annular carrying bail, means on the outside of said end wall for holding saidcarr-ying bail against said endwall when said bail is not in use; the substantially cup-shaped member, the flexible strip and the annular carrying bailall being integrally molded of a plastic, whereby said con'- necting strip is distortable to permit said bail to be rotated and moved` in a wide range of directions with respect to said cup-shaped member.

2. A tubular flashlight as described in claim l wherein the outside of said end wall of said end cap has a central, substantially circular recess having a at iioor substantially surrounded by curving walls, and wherein the means for holdingsaid carrying bailcomprises a pair of resilient prongs projecting upwardfrom v,said Hoor spaced in from said Icurving walls and appr'irimately diametrically opposed with respectto saidl endwall, each of said prongs andhigh tensile strength. Other desirable properties of molded articles from polyamide (nylon) molding powder are high impact strength, tensile strength, ilexure, inertness to grease, oil, alcohol and other industrial chemicals, and ability to withstand low temperatures without becoming brittle. l'While a polyamide molding powder (nylon). is the preferred Ytype of plastic moldable material, since it possesses all of these desirable characteristics, many other plastic and synthetic plastic materials may be employed as well. For example, natural rubber may be employed for the end cap construction where control is maintained over hardness and plasticity. Synthetic rubbers may also be employed. It is also possible to `employ different plastic materials for the bail and hinge, where the ydifferent plastics are compatible. Thus, the bail may be a translucent polyacrylate resin, such as Lucite, while the hinge may be a polyamide (nylon) molding, the bail and hinge being integrally fused together during the molding process.

i having a retaining ridge adjacent the distal end thereof,

said ridges being directed outwardly with respect to the center of the recess, whereby said annular carrying bail, when `not in use, may -besnapped over said ridgeson said prongs and seated on the floor of said recess and be held in such position by thecompre'ssive engagement of said prongs and the curving walls of said recess acting on two areas of said annular carrying bail.

References Cited in the file of this Apatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

